


The Heavens & the Sea

by xcacelas



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-02-21
Packaged: 2018-05-22 07:38:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6070818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xcacelas/pseuds/xcacelas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Layla Heartfilia, a Celestial Goddess, decides to train Lucy so she could take over her position. As Lucy grows up, she goes through several lessons of magic training and creating galaxies. It becomes a little more interesting after she meets the daughter of the Water Goddess, Juvia.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Heavens & the Sea

The wooden door creaked as Lucy peeked into the room.

“Come here, darling, look in here,” Layla waved Lucy over. Her mother was standing over a simmering cauldron, occasionally stirring the contents within the pot. The cauldron gave off a light glow and elicited a strong smell of honey and salt that Lucy smelled from the doorway.

She teetered into the room, careful not to step over any of the bottles spread all over the floor or the rumpled pieces of paper. She had never been in her mother’s workshop before.

“Come look,” Layla said again, her soft voice warming up Lucy’s belly. She gave a shy smile and walked over to her. The cauldron was larger than her and she had to stand on her toes to be able to see over the rim. She hesitated before placing her hands atop of the cauldron, careful not to shake it. She looked up at her mother in question. Layla nodded and Lucy let her arms rest across the rim, finally being able to look in.

Her mother kept stirring but there was no liquid within the pot. It looked more like a cloudy mixture, creating wisps of smoke and tiny specks of lights. The lights kept flickering and she blinked back tears from the bright intensity.

“What do you think those are,” her mother asked.  She lifted her hand and pointed at one of the specks.

Lucy’s face scrunched up as she thought of the name. Those were… Now what were they called?

“Stars,” Lucy said. She looked up at her mother who smiled at her response. Layla ruffled her hair causing Lucy to giggle.

Layla started waving her hand over the pot, spinning the mixture in a clockwise direction. The clouds started to dissipate, revealing more stars floating within a dark background.

“There’s so much space,” Lucy said.

Layla chuckled. “Yes, this is a new galaxy.”

Lucy looked up, her small mouth opening in curiosity. “A galaxy?”

Layla merely pressed her finger across her lips, shushing Lucy to keep quiet since this was a secret.

Lucy pressed her hands against her mouth and held her breath. Her cheeks puffed out and her face turned red until her mother dropped the spoon and told her to breathe. They burst out laughing, her mother wiping tears from her eyes as Lucy hugged her mother around her skirt.

Layla grabbed her by the shoulders and kneeled down in front of her, “Lucy…” she said. “It is almost my time. This is my gift to you, my darling… Before I part.”

* * *

Lucy was confused. What did her mother mean?

They left the room and her mother locked the door, slipping the key into her pocket. She gave Lucy permission to go play since she had to go speak to a Lady Aquarius.

Lucy kicked a pebble and decided to go to look for one of the servants. Maybe Pisces would play with her. She loved it when Pisces would split into two and shapeshift. They made a really funny impression of Capricorn and Scorpio.

She started to skip along the hall, deciding to look for Pisces until she spotted someone in the garden.

There was a girl sitting on one of the stone benches. She was sewing onto a small white pillow and would occasionally stare into the fountain.

Lucy walked over, careful not to make any noise. She stopped a few feet behind her and thought of what she should say. She’s never seen another child before. The girl looked around her age but was a little shorter than her.

She cleared her throat but the girl could not hear her over the trickling water from the fountain.

“Hi,” Lucy said in a shaky voice but she was ignored again. The girl would not stop working on the pillow.

“What are you doing,” Lucy asked in a louder voice.

The girl swiveled around, eyes wide in alarm until she spotted Lucy. She quickly got up and patted down her blue dress. Her white pillow dropped down onto a rosebush. Actually, it wasn’t a pillow now that Lucy could see it more closely. It was a small doll with a scary face made up of buttons for eyes and stitches for a mouth.

“I’m sorry… Miss Lucy,” the little girl said. She bowed, her blue top hat slipping off of her head until she caught it. She clutched the hat in a tight grip and pretended to dust off the top. She didn’t look up at Lucy.

“Juvia, what are you doing,” someone called out.

Both girls looked up to see a tall woman with shimmering blue hair and a silver tiara. Layla followed closely behind, the front of her dress pinched up between her fingers.

“It’s ok, Aquarius, it’s my garden,” she said when Aquarius gave Juvia a stern look.

“Ah, Miss Lucy,” Aquarius said when she spotted her, “A pleasure.” She bowed down to which Lucy curtsied in return.

“Lucy,” her mother began to speak. “This is Lady Aquarius, she is the Sea Goddess. And that is her daughter, Juvia.”

“Hello,” Lucy said. She picked up the small doll from the rose bush and handed it over to Juvia, “You dropped this.”

Juvia’s cheeks burned and she thanked her after Aquarius scolded her.

“Juvia is going to help you, when you take my place. She’ll help you make the oceans and lakes,” Layla said.

Lucy turned to Juvia who held up her head and nodded in affirmation. It would’ve looked intimidating if her bottom lip hadn’t begun to quiver.

* * *

She never really saw Juvia again after that day. Layla explained to her that Juvia had to finish her training under Aquarius’ command and would move into the palace after Lucy became the next Goddess.

The next years, Lucy spent hours training with her mother as she explained to her the duties of a Celestial Goddess. She was to look over the galaxy and create stars, solar systems, and eventually planets.

One day, the death of Aquarius was announced and all the residents within the palace mourned for her death. Layla didn’t talk to anyone and everyone let her mourn alone, carrying on with their duties. Lucy found Layla sitting alone in the garden and sat down next to her. She lay down her head in her mother’s lap which was wet with tears. It took a while for Layla to stroke her hair and Lucy felt small drops of water fall on her head.

The stronger Lucy got the weaker her mother grew. There were days where she would stay in bed, not having the strength to stand up. Virgo and Aries attended to her at those times and shooed Lucy away. Layla never stopped tutoring Lucy and encouraged her to become stronger. Lucy prepared herself for the moment that was to come but it had been for nothing when the day finally came.

On her sixteenth birthday, she ran into her mother’s room, eager to tell her of how she had finally managed to create a comet. But no matter how much she shook Layla, she never woke up. She called for Capricorn, for Loke, for Virgo, for anyone who was nearby. Scorpio managed to rush in but there was nothing he could do.

After the funeral, Lucy refused to leave her room. It was a childish thing to do but after spending the last ten years studying to be a lady, the head of the house, and a Goddess, she just didn’t care.

She ignored Virgo and Aries’ pleas, Loke’s consoling, and even Capricorn’s stern looks. She just stayed in her room, sleeping till evening and staying up to stare at the stars at night.

Someone kept knocking on her door. Lucy ignored the sound and didn’t respond to their voice. She didn’t recognize that voice but it made no difference. After ten minutes of knocking, the person gave up and walked away but the knocking resumed once again. This went on all night.

Lucy managed to fall asleep for a few minutes before being woken up by the knocks again. She grew more infuriated by the hour. Did the person not get it? She didn’t want to talk to anyone.

By morning, she had had enough. She waited for the person to come back again, daring them to interrupt her privacy.

Sure enough, it came. The knocks started and Lucy yanked opened the door.

It was the girl from years before, Juvia, except she was so much older now. She was the same height as Lucy but her face looked more structured with her pointed chin and high cheekbones. She had looked younger than Lucy back then but now she looked older. Were they not the same age?

Juvia’s eyes, no longer large and naïve, did not offer Lucy any sympathy or warmth.

“How long do you intend to mope in your room,” she said in a shrill voice.

Did she really speak to her in that way? Not even Capricorn dared to speak in that tone. Was this the same girl who wouldn’t look her in the eyes when they were younger? _And where’s her stupid blue hat and weird doll?_

“What,” Lucy asked through bared teeth.

Juvia’s shoulders started to shake and she took in deep breaths, her voice cracking a few times, “You are a Celestial Goddess now, you cannot turn away from your duties.”

“Does it matter anymore,” Lucy said. “Why do you care?”

Juvia gasped, having loss the words she had prepared in her mind. Apparently her confidence had a time limit.

Her face dropped and her bottom lip started to quiver.

_Ah, so she’s not ‘all’ grown up yet._

“You can’t shut yourself away after someone important to you dies,” Juvia said. She wiped away some tears.

“I lost my mother too…” Juvia whimpered. “But I carry on because it’s what I’m supposed to do… for others… for the ones I love… and for me.”

She walked away, leaving the door open and Lucy walked back to bed. She didn’t even know what part of the palace Juvia was living in.

Capricorn finally managed to drag her out of room, telling her to take it easy and do as much as she can for now. He reassured her that no one would pressure her into working too hard and to manage herself in the way that she could handle.

Over the years, Lucy spent endless hours working on a planet in a particular solar system that she had created as a child. She worked in the same cauldron her mother used and wasted days collecting all her energy into one location within the space. The first planet, Mercury, was born one night after she had snapped at Virgo and Aries when they tried to make her take a break. Virgo held onto Aries as she tried to hide her tears and they both stormed out of the room.

Lucy felt hot tears form in her eyes when she looked through a book for directions. She couldn’t stop picturing Aries’ face. She threw the book against the floor, not finding it useful, and started to pour random bottles into the cauldron until an explosion of light erupted. She ducked down, hitting her knees against the floor but she quickly stood up and looked in.

It was very small and barely had any color. Just a very dull shade of blue… A familiar shade of blue.

_Juvia… Is she still angry at me?_

She started cleaning up and decided to rest for the week.

Everyone congratulated her for her success, even Juvia, but it just wasn’t up to her standards. She also forgot to ask Juvia to create water for her but she found no need since the planet was a disappointment.

The next planet she spent working on she thought of her mother. She had trouble thinking back to the training she went through and the lessons told by her mother. Instead she focused back to those nights where she couldn’t sleep and neither of the handmaidens could offer her solace. Her mother picked her up and carried her out into the garden. She held her as she pointed at the sky and counted off the number of constellations. Aries, Taurus, Leo, Virgo, Capricorn… All named after their faithful servants. Lucy gazed at wonder, her brown eyes widening as comets began to pass across the sky. Her mother sang a lullaby and Lucy rested her head against her chest, drifting off.

Venus, the next planet was finally born after an intense night of energy consumption with Capricorn’s aid. It was much larger and shaded in bright colours of red and orange, resembling her mother’s dresses.

“It’s a beautiful planet,” someone said.

It was Juvia who was marveling at the planet in admiration. Capricorn walked out, making an excuse to find Loke and shut the door. _Coward._

“Thank you,” Lucy said. She pushed her bangs back which were matted in sweat.

“I can help you with the next one,” Juvia said. She helped Lucy walk out of the room. She had wasted too much energy that night.

“That’d be great,” Lucy said. She had seen very little of Juvia who usually worked with Pisces in controlling the oceans and lakes exiting in other planets.

They walked to her room, Lucy growing weaker with each step.

“Juvia… I’m sorry about what I said all those years ago,” Lucy said.

Juvia patted her shoulder, “I understand Lucy… You were in pain and needed your rest.”

 She helped her get into bed, changing her clothes, fluffing her pillows, and even tucking her in.

 Lucy’s eyelids felt heavy and she succumbed to her exhaustion. Juvia kissed her on her forehead.

* * *

The next planet she created with much more ease now that she had the love and support from Juvia. Planet Earth wasn’t as big as Venus but it had much more substance as she divided the land between the sea, the earth, and the sky.

The sea, the planet was covered by it; the others had marked how they had never seen a planet with so much water. Lucy looked at Juvia and smiled, reaching for her hand.

* * *

As the years grew by, Lucy created the next planets. She used different techniques for each one, forming different shapes and sizes. The most majestic ones had been the rings she formed around the planet Jupiter. She spent her days working on the planets and her nights nestled within Juvia’s arms.

A student came to be taught under Lucy’s care. A small, timid girl with snowy white hair who was immediately intimidated Lucy’s presence.  But Lucy took her role as a master and taught her everything she learned, earning the girl’s admiration. Juvia had gained her own apprentice too, exhausting her as she spent her days training a boisterous boy, who also had white hair. She silently wondered if the boy had a crush on her since he brought her flowers everyday much to Lucy’s amusement.

With each planet, Juvia’s face wrinkled and her hair loss it’s glossy appearance. But Lucy loved her more each day. She never faltered in amazing Lucy with her creations, surpassing her own master.

Until one fateful day, right after creating the planet Uranus, she passed away in her sleep. The same way Aquarius had left.

Water Goddesses did not live as long as Celestial Goddesses. A fact Lucy learned in her childhood. Yet still, nothing could’ve prepared her for the ache and pain she felt deep within her chest.

She pulled up her hair, now a bright silver colour, into a tight ponytail. She collected what little energy she had left and focused it into the cauldron. She decided on the name of the planet a long time ago, Neptune, but kept Juvia in her mind. She thought of her long, white arms which held her at night and her dark blue curly hair. The way she easily got jealous when Yukino, Lucy’s apprentice, took too much of her time and how Juvia always apologized in different ways. She would always surprise her by baking her her favorite treats, bringing exotic flowers into the garden, or sewing a cape for Lucy to wear.

Her arms started to shake as she held them over the cauldron and she ignored Aries’ cries to stop. She needed to finish this. She needed to create this last planet. _For Juvia…_

With that, she pushed all of her energy out and the white flash erupted within the room. A new planet finally boomed within the cauldron.

It was gorgeous. It was large and bathed in lights of blue and grey. Juvia would’ve been proud.

Lucy placed her arms down and let Aries hold her shoulders when she slowly started to fall. She faintly heard her cries to Loke and Capricorn.

Lucy looked up at the sky, wishing she could see the stars once more, and thought of her mother and Juvia.


End file.
